This invention relates to the fields pertaining to push brooms and cleaning equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for connecting a brush head and handle of a push broom.
Brooms have been available in industry and the home for centuries. Most prior art push brooms generally comprises brush head, an associated handle, and a connector suitable to secure the handle to the brush head. As early as 1871, U.S. Pat. No. 117,192 to William A. Middleton disclosed a broom having a brush head and a handle inserted into a connector that is a receptacle and the handle being held in place by a fastener or screws that are perpendicular to the brush head. A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 931, 290 to S. F. Frazier.
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,829 to Strahs, usually the brush head is constructed with an elongated transverse wood or other suitable, inflexible material base. The brush head is typically rectangular in plan view and the bottom surface of the brush head base has a plurality of bristles extending from it for floor-sweeping and cleaning purposes. The bristles may be natural hairs, synthetic fibers, or steel wires. Typically the top of the brush head a hole or opening centrally situated and adapted to receive and retain one end of an elongate rod which forms a handle. The handle is typically fabricated from wood or hollow metal and is positioned and secured within the opening of the brush head base. If the opening in the brush head base is tapered then the end of the elongate rod or handle is similarly tapered to provide the necessary friction engagement of the parts so that the push broom may be used. If the opening in the brush head base is threaded, then one end of the handle is similarly threaded so that the parts may be screwed together.
Numerous patents describe devices for push brooms which connect the handle to the brush head. U.S. Pat. No. 651,028 to W. A. Dryden, Sr. teaches a brush holder wherein the connector or bracket is triangular in shape with a hole substantially in the center. The bracket attaches to the brush head by means of a screw inserted in the hole and fastened through the brush head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,668 to Margolin discloses a bent fastener brace as a connector which includes a first mid plate and wide central arcuate second portion attached to the handle as well as a bent pleat member. The plane of the fastener is folded about itself at an angle for insertion of the brush head on one side. On an opposite side, the fastener is attached to the top of the brush head. The fastener has a wide reverse pleat member formed from a reverse direction and extending downward vertically at right angles to the middle plate portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,392 to Shapiro et al also teaches a connector between the brush head and handle for a push broom. This connector adjustably attaches the handle to the brush head to allow the user of the push broom to twist the brush head in various directions thereby allowing the user to fit the brush head into narrow spaces by changing the angle between the brush head and handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,564 to Tedrick discloses a push broom handle clamp as the connector. The push broom includes a handle and brush head assembly characterized by a latching device in the form of a metal plate, cooperating together with the handle in the sturdy and properly interlocked position of the brush head, so as to eliminate loosening or falling out of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,297 to Weihrauch discloses a cleaning-implement handle securing device wherein the handle has a sprung forked end that is releasably securable to the brush head by engagement of fork arms in an aperture on the brush head by means of a clamping device engaging between the arms and movable by rotation, displacement or pivoting to spread the arms apart or draw them together.
As discussed in the prior art and most notably in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,139 to Jones et al, there are problems with push brooms of the conventional design and those with removable handles. Push brooms of conventional design have the handle permanently affixed, through various means, to the brush head, so that when one component breaks or wears out the entire push broom must be replaced. Push brooms with removable handles through the use of threaded handle and socket are not satisfactory because the handle threads weaken the broom handle at that critical point and because the handle threads and/or the socket threads wear out, caused by the force exerted during use which is localized at this connection. Furthermore, the force at the pivot point is normal to the front and rear sides of the brush head during the back and forth sweeping motion applied by the user which aggravates the problem. These problems, inherent in these push brooms, cause the handles to repeatedly break at the point where the handles are attached to the brush head.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,413 to Wludyka discloses a bracket which may be added to a push broom to provide additional lateral support for the handle. The use of this bracket assumes that the handle is otherwise attached to the push broom, since it is inadequate to form a means of attachment by itself. Furthermore, this device is relatively complex, and therefore relatively expensive to manufacture and difficult to install.
Accordingly, the shortcomings of the prior art are obviated by a push broom bracket device for connecting a rectangular-shaped broom brush head of a given length to a rod-shaped handle. The bracket device includes a sheet-like member in the form of an isosceles triangle having a base edge and two side edges of equal length extending to an apex, the base edge having a length which is greater than one-half of the given length but less than the given length of the brush head, the two side edges forming an angle of substantially 45xc2x0 at the apex, and the sheet-like member being bent along a line extending substantially parallel to the base to form two substantially planar sections which intersect at an angle of substantially 35xc2x0, the section adjacent the base edge being adapted for attachment to a top portion of the brush head. The device also has a tube-like member, having a longitudinal central axis, attached to the sheet-like member at the apex with this central axis extending substantially perpendicular to the base edge, the tube-like member being adapted for attachment to one end of the handle. When attached to the brush head and the handle, the bracket device minimizes the lateral forces applied to the handle at the point of attachment during use of the broom.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and efficient means for attaching the brush head of a push broom to the handle.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a push broom bracket device that eliminates the problems of conventional push brooms such as the handles continuously breaking at their point of connection with the brush head of the push broom.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a push broom bracket device that prevents loosening of the handle.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a push broom bracket device which permits quick and easy replacement of the broom handle, if this becomes necessary.
Another object of the present invention to provide a push broom bracket device that is reliable and inexpensive to manufacture.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a push broom bracket device that is simple and easy to use.
These and other features of the present invention are described in more detail in the following detailed description when taken with the drawings. The scope of the invention, however, is limited only by the claims appended hereto.